Weber Grill Pizza Oven Conversion - Homemade KettlePizza

     I've always wanted to build an outdoor pizza oven. The problem is, it takes up quite a bit of space and the cost is pretty high. I recently stumbled on the KettlePizza Pro. It essentially turns any kettle style grill into a pizza oven. The price tag was also pretty high so I figured I'd try to build one of my own. I was able to create a pizza oven attachment for roughly $50. It easily got up to temperatures nearing 700F. 

     I started off by contacting a local metal fabrication company and asked for a 6 foot by 7 inch piece of 18 gauge steel. I had originally planned to use stainless steel but it was going to cost $78. I opted for regular steel for $45. They also were able to put it through a roller to assist the ring formation. I fit the ring onto my 22 inch Weber Grill and marked it with a sharpie. I put on the lid and marked the top and bottom lines. With the measurements in place, I went back inside to start drilling and cutting.

     I first drilled two holes and connected the ring with a couple of nuts and bolts. Then I put my pizza peel on top of the ring and marked 4 inches on either side fore the slot width. Next I drew two lines for the top and bottom cuts. I made the top 1 inch shorter on either side. This slot size was designed for a 15 inch pizza peel I picked up at a local restaurant supply company for $7. With the pizza oven opening drawn, I cut out the slot with my angle grinder fitted with a cutting wheel. I used a metal file to grind off the sharp burrs.

     I then cut two 5.75 inch long pieces of 2"x2" scrap wood for the handles and fit those to the ring. These were spaced a few inches away from the oven's opening. I used four, 6 inch long carriage bolts and 12 nuts to fix them to the ring. The last thing to mount was the thermometer. With everything assembled and mounted where it needed to be, I took the the handles and thermometer off, took the oven outside, and gave it a few coats of high temperature paint. 

    For the dough, I used a slightly modified recipe from SeriousEats.com. 20 oz of High Gluten Flour, 0.3 oz Kosher Salt, 0.2 oz Sugar, 0.2 oz of yeast, and 12 oz of water.  I mixed all the ingredients, covered the bowl with cling wrap, and left it out on the counter for a few hours to jumpstart the yeast. I then split it into 4 dough balls and placed it in the fridge for 2 days. On the day of the cook, I pulled the dough out and left it on the counter to warm up a bit. I sliced the fresh mozzarella and placed it on a paper towel to wick away some of the moisture. For the sauce I just used a good brand of peeled whole tomatoes. I drained out the juice and used an immersion blender to buzz them up into a sauce. I started some charcoal and placed some chunks of wood around the edges of the grill and waited for the stone/grill to get up to temperature. The pizzas came out fantastic and I believe they were some of the best I've ever made at home. The dough was moist and chewy on the inside and the outside was super crunchy and crisp. Definitely happy with the results.